Illustration by John Ritter
Illustrations of celebrities appearing at Super Bowl 52
Forget the game—my Super Bowl playbook is filled with a roster of concerts, parties, and events that would exhaust even the hardiest of Kardashians.
Reality check: We regular folks won’t make it past the velvet ropes at many locations where the visiting A-listers, including J.Lo and Sting, will be performing and partying. Still, it might be worth a drive-by for the possibility of a selfie with Justin Timberlake (or at least Andrew Zimmern?).
Don’t resign yourself to the couch just yet—some fetes remain open to the public . . . provided you’re willing to spend what’s left of your holiday bonus. (Do people still get year-end bonuses?)
No matter your ticket status, it’s time to revel in the sub-zero spotlight. So, in unison, let’s hunch up our shoulders, double-wrap our scarves, lace up our Sorels, hit the streets, and dance like nobody from the Sunbelt is watching.
Pay Your Way In
Ditka & Jaws Cigars with the Stars
Football legends Mike Ditka and Ron Jaworski host other NFL celebs and anyone willing to pay $500 to $75,000 a ticket for an evening of cigars and Scotch. This event is sold out.
- Where: Machine Shop
- When: Thursday, February 1
- Tickets: ditkajawscigars.com
Legends for Charity
An event sure to attract football legends and NFL insiders as it includes the presentation of the 2018 Pat Summerall Award to NFL Hall of Famer Tony Dungy. Individual tickets, including cocktail hour, dinner, and program, are $250. Proceeds benefit St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Online tickets are no longer available. Call call 952-715-4400 for more information.
- Where: Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
- When: Thursday, February 1
- Tickets: legendsforcharity.com
Gucci Mane With Ralo
Rapper Gucci Mane and his protégé Ralo kick off Super Bowl weekend festivities at Muse Event Center in the North Loop of Minneapolis. Tickets start at $300 and go up to $3,000 for access to a private open bar and tables. Tickets are now only available at the door.
- Where: Muse Event Center
- When: Thursday, Feb. 1, 10 p.m.
- Tickets: tickets.vemos.io
Leather & Laces
The longest-running Super Bowl party bills itself as the sexiest place to be during the big weekend. Flo Rida headlines; Jenny McCarthy and Donny Wahlberg host, with performances by Cirque USA and mentalist Jim Karol. Tickets start at $350 for general admission.
- Where: New Schafer Richardson building, 700 N. 5th St., near Target Field
- When: Friday, February 2
- Tickets: leatherandlaces.com
Arctic Bold Fashion Show and Party
Idris Alba hosts a "winter wonderland" party at Stella's with two dance floors, food, a rooftop cigar bar, and a fashion show at 9 p.m. produced by Richard Moody. Tickets start at $200 with a portion of sales going to Project Success, Black Women's health Imperative, and the American Diabetes Association. Ticket sales end Feb. 1.
- Where: Minneapolis Event Centers, 212 2nd St. SE, Mpls.
- When: Thursday, February 1
- Tickets: arcticbold.com
Rolling Stone Super Bowl Party
Hip hop act Migos headlines this bash—a Super Bowl staple that’s open to the public….for a cool $450 per GA ticket.
- Where: International Market Square
- When: Friday, February 2, 9 p.m.
- Tickets: tickpick.com
Taste of the NFL
Titans of industry, both culinary and athletic, clash in the best possible way at the annual Party With a Purpose. Superstar chefs from around the country team up with Hall of Famers and current NFL players for a tasty night of fundraising. Tickets are $700 each. Proceeds from the event are donated to food banks in each of the 32 NFL cities. This event is sold out.
- Where: Saint Paul RiverCentre
- When: Saturday, February 3, 7 p.m.
- Tickets: tasteofthenfl.com
Playboy Super Bowl Party
Snoop Dogg and the Playboy Playmates entertain at this party which bills itself as invite-only, but is advertising tickets online to the public, for $525 each, and promising a room filled with celebs.
- When: Saturday, February 3, 9 p.m.
- Where: 315 N. First Ave., Mpls.
- Tickets: fanhospitality.com
The 2018 Maxim Party
One of the biggest parties open to the public, this Hollywood-style event features celebrity DJs and live performances (DNCE and DJ Khaled performed last year). Event producers promise “immersive experiences” and “unique activations,” but what they couldn’t say at presstime is where it will take place or who will headline. They must be pretty confident about the lineup: Tickets start at $750 and go up to $21,000 for a VIP table.
- When: Saturday, February 3
- Where: 700 North 5th St., Mpls.
- Tickets: themaximevents.com
Work Those Connections
Big Game Big Give hosted by The Giving Back Fund
Each year, The Giving Back Fund—a national nonprofit that encourages charitable giving among the 1 percent—holds a fundraiser at a private estate in the Super Bowl city. Past hosts include Alec Baldwin, Hilary Swank, and Ashton Kutcher. This year, Jamie Foxx hosts the star-studded gala taking place at the Edina manse of Angie and Tom Wicka to benefit the Nash Avery Foundation, in memory of their son who lost his battle last year to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Tickets cost $3,000, and only 500 athletes, celebrities, and VIPs are invited . . . but GBF makes a few extra tickets available for purchase to people specifically recommended by the event committee. Start kissing up!
- When: Saturday, February 3
- Info: givingback.org
If You Have to Ask, You’re Not Invited
Commissioner’s Party
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly will be hosting an ultra-exclusive party at The Depot in Minneapolis, Friday, February 2.Even those in the know seem in the dark on details about this one . . . but it’s definitely happening.
The Big Game Experience
Academy Award and Grammy winner Jamie Foxx hosts this invitation-only party with NBA Hall of Famer and TV personality Shaquille O’Neal, alongside many of their celebrity friends, Friday, February 2, at Machine Shop.
NFL Owners Dinner
Sting performs, wrapping the NFL around his finger during an invitation-only dinner hosted by the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, February 1 at Union Depot—one of the only Super Bowl–related events happening in St. Paul.
Brick x Mortar
A talent agency representing some of the biggest names in Hollywood rented out this new invitation-only Warehouse District social club for Super Bowl weekend. Details are hush-hush, but trust me: This is where top celebs will be hanging.
Muse
The NFL is expected to host an invitation-only VIP media event at this North Loop event space on Friday, February 2. The headliner had not been announced as of presstime, but rumor has it, it will be a big-time musical act.
Wheels Up
Fast-growing membership-based private aviation company Wheels Up throws a posh Super Bowl party for elite members and guests only. Country star Jake Owen performed at it in 2017. No word yet on a headliner, but the action takes place at brand new event venue Quincy Hall in Northeast Minneapolis, being built by Kaskaid Hospitality, owners of Crave restaurants.
